Tue 22 Jan 2008
So the two feared predictions happened.
1) My roofer held off starting the repairs because he said it may rain Monday-Wednesday and they can’t replace a roof when it’s wet and being rained on. I was hoping it wouldn’t rain because the sky looked CLEAR all last week. It poured yesterday and last nite. I put buckets, bowls and cups down at the prior drippage sites but when I left this morning, it still hadn’t dripped. *crossing fingers*
2) I called my Association’s treasurer last nite and told him about the estimate. As expected, he balked, and said the association doesn’t have that much money. So he told me to get at least one more estimate, and meanwhile they were going to write letters to all the other homeowners in the association to try and collect $300 from each of them to pitch in for my roof repair, which, he reminded me, will take some time so we won’t be able to pay any contractor until a month after the job’s done. After I hung up last nite, I sat there thinking there ain’t no WAY they’re gonna pay for my internal ceiling damage, no matter what the law says. I can sue them, but it’ll be just a wasted effort if they don’t have the funds to pay the judgment, AND I’ll have all my neighbors mad at me. So I may as well have my insurance take care of the internal damage and pay the hefty deductible myself. Crap.
All right, so Mr. W was right.
I woudl tell your treasure you had to pay $$$ for other’s roof repairs, so they need to get on it! Plus, had they fixed your roof at the same tiem they fixed everyone else’s, then you would not have this issue. Maybe the association will compromise and pay for your insurance deductible. It’s worth a shot!
find the most reputable, most expensive contractor for a second estimate. since you like the first guy, make sure the second guy doesn’t lowball him and the HOA force you to use some guy that you haven’t had that much interaction with and aren’t as comfortable with.
boo. that sucks 🙁
If they drag their feet, go ahead and stop paying your condo fee (or rent if you are renting) until you have been paid back for whatever they should cover.
Make them try and get the money out of you, rather than you try and get it from them.
So did you use a tarp to cover, what did you do to prevent more leaks?
definite bummer!!!
It blows my mind about these homeowner associations. What are they good for? Seriously!!
Would you want to pay for YOUR neighbors inside ceiling to be repaired? They don’t have a deed to your house and never have sex laying there looking up at your ceiling so they probably wouldn’t pay anyway.
Hope your ins. deductible isn’t OUTRAGEOUS!!
Geez, your association sucks. Don’t they have a reserve fund? What are they doing with all the association dues you are paying now?
Anyway, I would prefer to maintain my own property. I.e., if my roof breaks I’ll pay for it.
If my neighbors roof breaks, he pays for it.
But if the association comes in and says they’ll pay for roofs (and I remember YOU paid for your neighbors roof already)
They better pay for yours too. If they had any planning sense there should be cash in their account prepared to pay for these damages — because eventually all the roofs will need repair. If not, they are incompetent.
i thought homeowners associations cover ‘common’ grounds and as far as your own home / property, you’re on your own. i know you have to follow the rules and keep everything in shape otherwise they’ll have a right to do something, but I never knew a HOA paid for your personal home damages.. unless it was a townhome or something.
Vanessa – that would be a fair compromise (for the Association to pay for my deductible), I think, but I just don’t see them being able to wrestle that money out of the other homeowners.
Wilco – your idea is precisely why I canceled the appraisal appointment I had at noon today with some guy who seemed less than professional but who seems to offer a huuuuuge discount for some unknown reason. He also doesn’t speak English. So instead, I went with my staff to lunch at a Japanese restaurant in Cerritos (Kabuki) and drank way too much sake.
a – can’t argue with that.
Accidentally Me – I hope it doesn’t come to that. The Association is doing what it can in writing letters to the homeowners explaining the need to collect money from all of them ASAP, so at least they’re ON it.
‘k’ – no, I didn’t climb up on my roof to cover anything. It started raining when I was out of town this weekend so by the time I got to my house it was already too late. But at least there’s no water seepage into the house. But it’s STILL raining NOW so who knows what it looks like now.
Flat Coke – you’re right; I wouldn’t want to pay money to fix someone else’s property, either (altho I DID), but the homeowners would rather pay a low monthly association fee and have no money in a reserve fund, rather than pay more monthly to have a reserve fund. That’s why every time expenses come up, the Association has to collect specifically for the expense from everyone.
My deductible is $500.
James – the Association claims all the funds they take in monthly is paid out in expenses to that they continuously break even without a reserve. Water, external electricity, insurance, trash, gardening, etc. The Association IS going to pay to replace my roof, but they’re paying for it w/money they’re going to collect starting NOW. =P
Jordan – the inside of your property is usually your own problem, UNLESS the failure of the Association to maintain what it’s supposed to maintain according to the bylaws/CC&Rs directly caused your internal damage. For example, if there’s a tree on common ground that they didn’t trim and the branch falls on your house and caves your wall in, that’s on the Association to repair because they were supposed to maintain the tree. That’s the case with my roof. The roof is the Association’s domain; the internal ceiling damage is the fault of the lack of maintenance on the roof.